So, NBC fired Dan Neil from his job on the under-contract-but-yet-to-tape Top Gear. The show is an imports, famous in Britain for holding no bars, but there's some developing weirdness on the American side.

In addition to the's show Neil departure, The Truth About Cars post breaking the news now appears to have a different ending from its initial publication. The initial text as quoted by commenters and other blogs reads: "Neil also reveals that NBC and the BBC are aware that aping the original Top Gear's no-holds-barred reviewing style could piss off the media company's automotive advertisers — and devised a solution. "They're writing around the problem, by not doing car reviews unless they really love the car.' " But the post now ends: "The clock is ticking on finding Neil's replacement. Anyone heard anything?"

Weird. But I do give the blog credit for a Forgetful Jones reference and picture. The pic and bio come in enlarged form on Forgetful's page in the Muppet Wiki. The wiki points to the late Richard Hunt as the Henson cohort behind the strings, and you're welcome to lose 10 minutes clicking through his character list.

Some are still ultra-familiar, and others are now distant and wonderful to remember: Sully the unspeaking construction worker, Gladys the Cow the friend of Prince Charming, Don Music with the bust on the piano, Scooter, Beaker, Statler, Janice ("Look, mother, it's my life, okay, so if I want to live on a beach and walk around naked…"), Sweetums, and Fraggle Rock's Junior Gorg. Okay, so maybe you lose 20 minutes. Jason Segel, our hopes lie with you.

Returning to topic, this week Neil reviews the 2009 Nissan GT-R.

I know what you want from me. You think I'm just your little word slut, that I'm here just to arouse you with steamy descriptions of the new and instantly legendary Nissan GT-R. You want me to parade around in frilly verbiage, like: "The acceleration of the twin-turbo, all-wheel-drive, 480-hp GT-R is much like a 50-yard field goal in the NFL, wherein your butt is the football." Sigh. I feel so used.

So true. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle reminds us the original Top Gear features British Dan Neil — "Long live misunderstood visionary Jeremy Clarkson! Hail to originality in all of its unglossy glory! Hurray for the ability to make fun of terrible cars without risking an advertising boycott!" — so we must check in.

In somewhat bizarro fashion, we find Clarkson referencing Top Gear's relationship with America and driving Corvettes in Southern California.

We must have their computers, their jeans and their eating habits, yet there are more Made-in-Britain labels on the moons of Jupiter than there are in South Dakota. To the average American, "abroad" is Canada or Mexico. Any further than that and you need Nasa. Over there, a Brit is simply someone to shoot by mistake. So it's certain that Hank J Dieselburger isn't going to be buying a jar of Bovril any time soon.

Nor will he be watching a British-made car show. Top Gear is screened all over the world, from remote Himalayan villages to the bullet-ridden boulevards of Lebanon. It is a genuine, bona fide export success. But in the US it is watched only by half a handful of expats who diligently follow BBC America, and a few torrentists on the interweb.

This is partly because, when it comes to motoring, the English language makes more sense in Albania than it does in Alabama. Almost every word in the Americans' automotive lexicon is different from ours, so when we talk about motorways, pavements, bonnets, boots, roofs, bumper bars, petrol, coupes, saloons, people carriers, cubic centimetres and corners, they have no idea what we're on about.

The questions are obvious. Have Dan Neil and British Dan Neil ever met? Do they get along? Are they friends? Bizarro. Jerry, George, Kramer… this is Kevin, Gene… and Feldman.

Debate ensues in the review's comments over whether the United States is as abnormal as Clarkson claims. One comment in particular, I can't tell if it's authentic or British humor.

Great articel, I must say I have seen you're show. I understood it all, not ALL americans are the dumb creatures you por-tray them to be. PLlase consider are feelings some-time.

All the best

Brad Bass
brad bass, houston, Texas

I'm hoping British humor.

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